Michiganians (or as some of us prefer, Michiganders) have a HUGE ballot to consider on November 6, 2012. National, State and local offics to be determined, Judgeships, State University elections, and of course the issues that are getting more TV advertising time than even the Presidential race, the State Proposals.
First, Proposal 12-1 which is called the 'Emergency Manager Law'. I'm in favor of this proposal. Units of government that can't maage their finances will eventually need to be bailed out by the State. That means EVERY residet will be affected, not just the residents of that municipality or school district. Opponents claim that it strips local control of elected officials and for that reason should not be allowed.
I would prefer that those residents keep an eye on the local governments, speak loudly when things are not going right, and not wait until there is a financial emergency. But of course, that takes time and effort. You might have to read the local paper, attend meetings, or take valuable internet and entertainment time to stay abreast of these things, then call or write the appropriate officials to make your feelings known. Hmm, I guess that is a lot of work. Easier to zone out and watch the tube.
Personally, if my municipality (actually a Charter Township) were in an economic situation as bad as some Cities and School Districts are now, I would welcome an Emergency Manager.
Without going into long details or essays on the remaining proposals 12-2 through 12-6 (which I'd gladly do if I thought anybody were interested), I'll summarize using the commonality of them. I'm voting "NO" on Proposals 2 through 6 because none of these warrant inclusion into the Constitution of the State of Michigan.
Our Constitution is a very 'clean' document, even though it runs 80 or so pages in length. A Constitution is a set of fundamental principles by which we are governed. Regardless of the other merits of these proposals, none of them should be added to the Constitution. They are best handled by creation or revision of State Laws. If you think that repealing a law or recalling an elected official is tough, wait until it's necessary to amend a portion of the Constitution. (Look at, or better yet actually READ, the Michigan Constitution here.)
And let's not forget how a badly worded ballot proposal can create havoc - legalized medical marijuana ring a bell, anyone? It makes me cringe to think what a badly worded amendment to our Constitution would do.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Detroit, the 'Region' - and the State
There's no doubt in my mind that a strong, vibrant Detroit is needed for the growth of SE and South Central Michigan - or for the State as a whole, for that matter.
In the 'old days', it made sense for some municipalities to provide a lot of services themselves - lighting, water, transportation. I remember a time when Wyandotte did its own lighting (or electricity), too. But that model doesn't work any more.
As a Detroit-born and raised guy, it pains me to see the problems of my 'home town'. Government is needed, but politics often is used for petty, personal and unscrupulous reasons that tears down the good aspects of government.
The historic demise of Detroit Public Schools is a great example of how a large organization infiltrated by cronyism and nepotism can destroy a valuable asset. Decades of unchecked malfeasance and inefficiency took them into receivership. Now the City is there,too. Except that the City representatives are fighting more earnestly. And I don't think that's a good thing.
A former Mayor on trial right now (after a conviction and served time on other counts), appointees convicted or on trial, a former Councilperson in jail - where does it end?
The 'local control' issue is a smokescreen for not giving up power. If I lose power, it's a 'power grab' by the other side, some City officials seem to think. Or maybe they don't. Maybe they just see the loss of their personal power. A couple of points to show that Detroit losing some of it's 'power' isn't all that bad for the residents.
First, DDOT, the transportation system. In Janury 2012 they were privatized and since then ridership has increased, they've retired some older buses which allows them to concentrate on keep the rest of the buses in service, and they've added GPS to most of the vehicles in service.
The "415" plan gets buses running every 15 minutes on the City's four busiest routes, but it was also criticized at first. When a something is as broken as Detroit's transportation system was, nothing can happen quick enough, but this is a privatization success. The real solution is a regional sytem, as long as this dysfunctional municipality doesn't have veto or controlling power over it.
The Belle Isle initiative proposed by the state would require a long term lease for its operation, but again, City Council balks under the premise of 'losing local control'. Guess what? The City has mismanaged, neglected and ignored this resource for (again) decades. That is it's sad history, and the sad history of City governance. Restore this almost 1000 acres to something that the City and the State can be proud of. Get the lights back on for the residents and provide basic police and fire protection. Einstein famously said that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result was the definition of insanity. Apparently, Detroit's leaders are insane.
In the 'old days', it made sense for some municipalities to provide a lot of services themselves - lighting, water, transportation. I remember a time when Wyandotte did its own lighting (or electricity), too. But that model doesn't work any more.
As a Detroit-born and raised guy, it pains me to see the problems of my 'home town'. Government is needed, but politics often is used for petty, personal and unscrupulous reasons that tears down the good aspects of government.
The historic demise of Detroit Public Schools is a great example of how a large organization infiltrated by cronyism and nepotism can destroy a valuable asset. Decades of unchecked malfeasance and inefficiency took them into receivership. Now the City is there,too. Except that the City representatives are fighting more earnestly. And I don't think that's a good thing.
A former Mayor on trial right now (after a conviction and served time on other counts), appointees convicted or on trial, a former Councilperson in jail - where does it end?
The 'local control' issue is a smokescreen for not giving up power. If I lose power, it's a 'power grab' by the other side, some City officials seem to think. Or maybe they don't. Maybe they just see the loss of their personal power. A couple of points to show that Detroit losing some of it's 'power' isn't all that bad for the residents.
First, DDOT, the transportation system. In Janury 2012 they were privatized and since then ridership has increased, they've retired some older buses which allows them to concentrate on keep the rest of the buses in service, and they've added GPS to most of the vehicles in service.
The "415" plan gets buses running every 15 minutes on the City's four busiest routes, but it was also criticized at first. When a something is as broken as Detroit's transportation system was, nothing can happen quick enough, but this is a privatization success. The real solution is a regional sytem, as long as this dysfunctional municipality doesn't have veto or controlling power over it.
The Belle Isle initiative proposed by the state would require a long term lease for its operation, but again, City Council balks under the premise of 'losing local control'. Guess what? The City has mismanaged, neglected and ignored this resource for (again) decades. That is it's sad history, and the sad history of City governance. Restore this almost 1000 acres to something that the City and the State can be proud of. Get the lights back on for the residents and provide basic police and fire protection. Einstein famously said that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result was the definition of insanity. Apparently, Detroit's leaders are insane.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Desires, Energy and Efforts
I'm a new golfer by most standards. I started in 2009. Took a few lessons, bought some cheap clubs and joined a league. I was extremely embarrassing to watch. But I had the desire to learn the game, even though at 56 years of age I should have stuck to other activities.
Last year I missed a lot of golf due to work and community commitments. It bothered me a lot, but first things first. Responsibility can be a bummer sometimes. I got word that my league was informally starting a month early for those that wanted to participate and with the recent spate of nice weather I thought I’d give it a whirl. Never mind that we went from sunny and 80’s to windy and 50’s. I wanted to golf.
So I showed up, paid my fee and went out to play. Not totally miserable conditions, but 20 mph winds with 40 mph gusts are not the best conditions for a mediocre player like me. But I wanted to golf. So I did. My shots were not great and by the end of the 9-hole round I was ready for a hot shower, not happy with my effort and feeling a bit like I wasted that time.
I tell this story because sometimes we do things that maybe we shouldn’t. I really have been in a busy stretch of work and I could have caught up a bit on some of those things that we all defer with those two hours. But I wanted to golf. And by god, I golfed. Misspent energy? Perhaps. Mini-reward for working hard since last Fall? Maybe. But I didn’t really enjoy the round as much as I thought I would, even though it felt great to swing the clubs, see the familiar faces, and kidding around with the guys was fantastic.
I let my desire to golf divert my energy and efforts, even with poor playing conditions. That was the mistake. I will make a better decision next time and I believe that the golf will be sweeter and I’ll be more focused with my game. A good energy policy!
Which leads me to a whole different energy thought. How is it that there’s such a disconnect between crude oil prices (barrel) and gasoline (gallon)? I looked up crude oil prices on the Bloomberg website and gasoline prices on the U.S. Energy Information Agency website and got these figures:
Last year I missed a lot of golf due to work and community commitments. It bothered me a lot, but first things first. Responsibility can be a bummer sometimes. I got word that my league was informally starting a month early for those that wanted to participate and with the recent spate of nice weather I thought I’d give it a whirl. Never mind that we went from sunny and 80’s to windy and 50’s. I wanted to golf.
So I showed up, paid my fee and went out to play. Not totally miserable conditions, but 20 mph winds with 40 mph gusts are not the best conditions for a mediocre player like me. But I wanted to golf. So I did. My shots were not great and by the end of the 9-hole round I was ready for a hot shower, not happy with my effort and feeling a bit like I wasted that time.
I tell this story because sometimes we do things that maybe we shouldn’t. I really have been in a busy stretch of work and I could have caught up a bit on some of those things that we all defer with those two hours. But I wanted to golf. And by god, I golfed. Misspent energy? Perhaps. Mini-reward for working hard since last Fall? Maybe. But I didn’t really enjoy the round as much as I thought I would, even though it felt great to swing the clubs, see the familiar faces, and kidding around with the guys was fantastic.
I let my desire to golf divert my energy and efforts, even with poor playing conditions. That was the mistake. I will make a better decision next time and I believe that the golf will be sweeter and I’ll be more focused with my game. A good energy policy!
Which leads me to a whole different energy thought. How is it that there’s such a disconnect between crude oil prices (barrel) and gasoline (gallon)? I looked up crude oil prices on the Bloomberg website and gasoline prices on the U.S. Energy Information Agency website and got these figures:
August 2011
|
$100.46/barrel
|
$3.64/gallon
|
November 2011
|
$105.26
|
$3.37
|
February 2012
|
$112.71
|
$3.64
|
March 2012
|
$102.37
|
$3.84
|
Now, we’re seeing $4.00+ prices but the crude prices haven’t risen dramatically. An acquaintance said that it’s all because of speculators. I’m speculating, too - every time I buy a $10 worth to get me back to a place where gas prices are a nickel cheaper per gallon for a fill-up. It doesn't get me much profit, but I feel better about the effort.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Big Shaking in Michigan
Nope. Not the earthquake type, although we do occasionally feel a small temblor around here. I’m talking more about the political shakings. And right now, that’s mostly about Detroit’s financial crisis.
An ill-considered statement by a Detroit minister leads the news reports. “Before we let you take over our city, we’ll burn it down first,” said Malik Shabazz during an open meeting of the financial review team in Detroit. Hold the quips, it’s too easy. Certainly there’s a lot of emotion surrounding the Governor’s necessary intervention into the affairs of a municipality that can’t keep its street lights on, its citizens safe or even in collecting its own income taxes.
Yes, things have come to a head in the last few years under Mayor Dave Bing. They may have happened regardless of who was mayor. The groundwork for this crisis has been laid over a couple of decades at least. And there’s plenty of blame to go around.
Detroit has a Department of Human Services that was totally ineffective, even irresponsible, in its duty. It misspent monies badly needed by the residents and had to forfeit millions of dollars in federal aid. Emergency response times are deplorable and the bus system is totally, totally broken. The list could drag on, but I’ll stop there.
The real issue now is the culture of denial – ‘We can still run the city ourselves’. It’s followed closely by the culture of entitlement – ‘Just give us some money and we’ll make it all work.’ The Governor is wise to not just open the pocketbook. There has to be a third party that will be responsible for management and oversight. It doesn’t matter what you call him or her - emergency manager, court appointed receiver, or even pillager of the democratic rights of the citizens (as some activists insist).
And why, if the citizens are so concerned about their city did they show up in such embarrassingly low numbers (10%) for a ballot that decided whether there would be a new City Charter? I don’t get it. But I do get the fact that in this country you are always allowed to complain. And there’s no shortage of that commodity around this issue.
Detroit has a long and proud history. I hope we’ll once again see it as a vibrant urban center.
On a brighter note, Michigan tourism was up 8% in 2011. It’s estimated that for every dollar spent in the ‘Pure Michigan’ advertising campaign, $4.90 came back to the State. I thought the reduction of the Pure Michigan effort was short-sighted and I’m glad to see that the increased budgeting has paid off. And that was in a colder, wetter summer than normal.
An ill-considered statement by a Detroit minister leads the news reports. “Before we let you take over our city, we’ll burn it down first,” said Malik Shabazz during an open meeting of the financial review team in Detroit. Hold the quips, it’s too easy. Certainly there’s a lot of emotion surrounding the Governor’s necessary intervention into the affairs of a municipality that can’t keep its street lights on, its citizens safe or even in collecting its own income taxes.
Yes, things have come to a head in the last few years under Mayor Dave Bing. They may have happened regardless of who was mayor. The groundwork for this crisis has been laid over a couple of decades at least. And there’s plenty of blame to go around.
Detroit has a Department of Human Services that was totally ineffective, even irresponsible, in its duty. It misspent monies badly needed by the residents and had to forfeit millions of dollars in federal aid. Emergency response times are deplorable and the bus system is totally, totally broken. The list could drag on, but I’ll stop there.
The real issue now is the culture of denial – ‘We can still run the city ourselves’. It’s followed closely by the culture of entitlement – ‘Just give us some money and we’ll make it all work.’ The Governor is wise to not just open the pocketbook. There has to be a third party that will be responsible for management and oversight. It doesn’t matter what you call him or her - emergency manager, court appointed receiver, or even pillager of the democratic rights of the citizens (as some activists insist).
And why, if the citizens are so concerned about their city did they show up in such embarrassingly low numbers (10%) for a ballot that decided whether there would be a new City Charter? I don’t get it. But I do get the fact that in this country you are always allowed to complain. And there’s no shortage of that commodity around this issue.
Detroit has a long and proud history. I hope we’ll once again see it as a vibrant urban center.
On a brighter note, Michigan tourism was up 8% in 2011. It’s estimated that for every dollar spent in the ‘Pure Michigan’ advertising campaign, $4.90 came back to the State. I thought the reduction of the Pure Michigan effort was short-sighted and I’m glad to see that the increased budgeting has paid off. And that was in a colder, wetter summer than normal.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Sights Around Brighton
We're awfully used to seeing hot air balloons around here. In fact, they're quite commonplace. We have an abundance of wildlife and because Brighton is at the crossroads of two major highways (I-96 and US-23) you never know what (or who) may happen into town.
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At Monday's 4th of July Parade, we had a couple of A-10's flyover during the parade, a bi-plane streaming smoke, and a small group of private planes flying in formation, too. Here's one of the entries into the Brighton Optimist Club's Bike Decorating Contest - a plane of a different sort. This pedal powered airplane is almost an annual entry into the contest and is always a crowd pleaser. I'm not sure of the manufacturer's name, but I did see a similar one on an episode of Antique Roadshow a year or two back, and it was worth a significant amount of money in it's original paint. This one has obviously been repainted.
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The Chessie System tracks also run through the area. I grew up in the Delray neighborhood in SW Detroit and you could not get in or out of that area without crossing railroad tracks-at least until I-75 was built. I thought I'd seen every kind of locomotive and train car there was until yesterday. I was taking Fourth Street and there was a fuel oil truck with a stopped train. Not sure if they were refueling a piece of equipment on this car or if this car powered the entire train, but I had never seen one before. It's called a 'rail pick up' unit. Very interesting.
Plenty of reasons to keep a camera with you. Don't leave home without one!
Plenty of reasons to keep a camera with you. Don't leave home without one!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
News That Makes You Go hmm . . .
Hey, hey! Stolen cars are at their lowest rate since 1987. There's good news. Guess the high price of gasoline is deterring more than the 'Club' and lowjac. And better yet, Detroit's not in the Top 10 City list for stolen cars, either.
Verizon is doing away with unlimited data plans. Might as well. My Blackberry Curve chokes when using the IE web browser so often it's almost useless. I downloaded the BOLT browser (free) from the Blackberry store and it works much faster.
And what's with the price of coffee? Are they making *that* from oil, too? I'm cutting back to half a pot for the family in the morning (one cup each) and skipping it at restaurants, too. Analysts blame it on the demand for green coffee (green coffee beans are those picked, processed wet, dried and then milled, but not roasted. That is usually left to the bean purchaser) and also to poor growing conditions in South America. I'm betting the speculators are driving prices more than anything else.
The FDA approved some new graphic warning labels for cigarette packages. Now we need financial advisors to start advertising on them, too. (That might deter people more than image of a diseased lung.) I was in a local store recently and saw a Marlboro pack price of $6.25! No wonder the new 'growth' industry seems to be tobacco shops. Rolling your own is more popular now than it was in the late 60's.
NPR covered a story about a facebook post from Lab42 that says of the surveyed men, 27 percent who judge themselves to be overweight ate at fast food outlets more than seven times a week. Crap! How did that happen! I just bought a new belt. (The study group was composed of 500 men aged 18-35.)
I'm busy unsubscribing from all the things that I signed up for that sounded like a good idea at the time, but that have proven to have absolutely no value to me. First one? Groupon. Nice coupons if you live in Metro Detroit, but at an hour away there was never anything that made me want to jump in the car and drive for.
I'm extending that to magazines, too. I love golf but when you get all of these great 'ideas' about how to hit longer tee shots or make better chips, it just seems to confuse my game. I'm actually hitting straighter and playing more consistently now that I quit reading golf magazines - and watching golf improvement shows. Tournaments are different. Let me know if you want to camp out in front of a TV to watch a tournament some time.
Verizon is doing away with unlimited data plans. Might as well. My Blackberry Curve chokes when using the IE web browser so often it's almost useless. I downloaded the BOLT browser (free) from the Blackberry store and it works much faster.
And what's with the price of coffee? Are they making *that* from oil, too? I'm cutting back to half a pot for the family in the morning (one cup each) and skipping it at restaurants, too. Analysts blame it on the demand for green coffee (green coffee beans are those picked, processed wet, dried and then milled, but not roasted. That is usually left to the bean purchaser) and also to poor growing conditions in South America. I'm betting the speculators are driving prices more than anything else.
The FDA approved some new graphic warning labels for cigarette packages. Now we need financial advisors to start advertising on them, too. (That might deter people more than image of a diseased lung.) I was in a local store recently and saw a Marlboro pack price of $6.25! No wonder the new 'growth' industry seems to be tobacco shops. Rolling your own is more popular now than it was in the late 60's.
NPR covered a story about a facebook post from Lab42 that says of the surveyed men, 27 percent who judge themselves to be overweight ate at fast food outlets more than seven times a week. Crap! How did that happen! I just bought a new belt. (The study group was composed of 500 men aged 18-35.)
I'm busy unsubscribing from all the things that I signed up for that sounded like a good idea at the time, but that have proven to have absolutely no value to me. First one? Groupon. Nice coupons if you live in Metro Detroit, but at an hour away there was never anything that made me want to jump in the car and drive for.
I'm extending that to magazines, too. I love golf but when you get all of these great 'ideas' about how to hit longer tee shots or make better chips, it just seems to confuse my game. I'm actually hitting straighter and playing more consistently now that I quit reading golf magazines - and watching golf improvement shows. Tournaments are different. Let me know if you want to camp out in front of a TV to watch a tournament some time.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Screech Owl
This was the first time the HCNC was at this event, the 25th anniversary edition. They do great work and have an absolutely wonderful facility, too.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Trip to the 45th Parallel
Michigan is such a great State. It doesn't matter if you live in the west, southeast or north. So many great things to do and so much great scenery to travel from one region to another.
Friday morning my wife and I left early (6am) for a trip to Gaylord. The weather was rainy and dreary when we left Brighton, but we hit some open sky and sunlight just north of Bay City. It was an amazing transformation of mood. I had a meeting at 11am that was an excuse for a short vacation. A 2pm tee time had already been booked. Normally, I forego I-75 for the 27 route, but that day I decided to take I-75. My wife doesn't really like huge bridges, but she took Zilwaukee in stride. We stopped in Standish and had a great breakfast at Wheeler's, then proceeded on our trip.
We had enough time to look around Gaylord before my short business meeting at Treetops. I met up with the rest of our group in the lobby and half of our four couples could actually check-in even though it was around 10:30. Of course, my room was not ready, but then again I hadn't expected it to be.
Our business concluded, we had time for a quick lunch before golfing the Traditions course. The original Treetops course, it was designed to be junior golfer friendly and I was amazed that you could pull up adjacent to each and every tee box. I mean right next to it. Open an inviting is how I would describe this course. Even I didn't lose a single golf ball. My score was less than illustrious, but I'm seriously behind my golf pace of 2010. At this time last year I had played almost 30 times. This was my third outing for this year.
Friday evening the group got together for dinner at the Big Buck Brewery. The Red Ear Ale was smooth and tasty. My wife enjoyed her pale ale. I was somewhat disappointed in the 10 oz prime rib dinner. I really should have asked the waitress for her recommendation. In the past I've been very pleased with their burger and sandwiches.
We finished off our short stay with a round of golf on the 9 hole par 3 course, ThreeTops. A cute play on words. The entire course is up and down - literally. Elevated tee with sunken green, sunken tee with elevated green, or elevated tee and green with a deep valley betwixt. I've never played anywhere with so many extreme up and down lies. If you didn't hit the green it was a challenge. I ended up losing one ball, too.
Our group checked out after this round and headed back home. In contrast to the trip up, I drove straight through on the way back. I had a serious case of the 'drowsies' going after reaching the half way point and did have to make a quick stop south of Birch Run. The Arbie's drive through provided a shot of alertness with a Jamocha Shake and the rest of the trip was uneventful.
It was great to see that the construction projects were not active for the Holiday weekend and we literally cruised in both directions. It would have been nice to spend another night 'up north', perhaps at Mackinaw City or Traverse City, but the almost constant recent rain at home and my lack of garden maintenance required me to get back and face real-world responsibilities.
Friday morning my wife and I left early (6am) for a trip to Gaylord. The weather was rainy and dreary when we left Brighton, but we hit some open sky and sunlight just north of Bay City. It was an amazing transformation of mood. I had a meeting at 11am that was an excuse for a short vacation. A 2pm tee time had already been booked. Normally, I forego I-75 for the 27 route, but that day I decided to take I-75. My wife doesn't really like huge bridges, but she took Zilwaukee in stride. We stopped in Standish and had a great breakfast at Wheeler's, then proceeded on our trip.
We had enough time to look around Gaylord before my short business meeting at Treetops. I met up with the rest of our group in the lobby and half of our four couples could actually check-in even though it was around 10:30. Of course, my room was not ready, but then again I hadn't expected it to be.
Our business concluded, we had time for a quick lunch before golfing the Traditions course. The original Treetops course, it was designed to be junior golfer friendly and I was amazed that you could pull up adjacent to each and every tee box. I mean right next to it. Open an inviting is how I would describe this course. Even I didn't lose a single golf ball. My score was less than illustrious, but I'm seriously behind my golf pace of 2010. At this time last year I had played almost 30 times. This was my third outing for this year.
Friday evening the group got together for dinner at the Big Buck Brewery. The Red Ear Ale was smooth and tasty. My wife enjoyed her pale ale. I was somewhat disappointed in the 10 oz prime rib dinner. I really should have asked the waitress for her recommendation. In the past I've been very pleased with their burger and sandwiches.
We finished off our short stay with a round of golf on the 9 hole par 3 course, ThreeTops. A cute play on words. The entire course is up and down - literally. Elevated tee with sunken green, sunken tee with elevated green, or elevated tee and green with a deep valley betwixt. I've never played anywhere with so many extreme up and down lies. If you didn't hit the green it was a challenge. I ended up losing one ball, too.
Our group checked out after this round and headed back home. In contrast to the trip up, I drove straight through on the way back. I had a serious case of the 'drowsies' going after reaching the half way point and did have to make a quick stop south of Birch Run. The Arbie's drive through provided a shot of alertness with a Jamocha Shake and the rest of the trip was uneventful.
It was great to see that the construction projects were not active for the Holiday weekend and we literally cruised in both directions. It would have been nice to spend another night 'up north', perhaps at Mackinaw City or Traverse City, but the almost constant recent rain at home and my lack of garden maintenance required me to get back and face real-world responsibilities.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Hey, What About Me?
A lot of big news in the last couple of days. OBL finally caught and justice administered by Navy Seals and a quick burial at sea, US Intelligence pouring over a trove of captured documents. US Army Corps of Engineers treats Illinois to a night time display while destroying a Mississippi River levee to save Cairo,IL from flooding. Canadian Conservatives win big and the BQ separatists seem to be reduced to a non-issue.
And from Detroit, the cry is raised, "Hey, What About Me?" OK, not quite literally, but that's the sense of it.
Mayor Dave Bing is trying to rejuvenate the city, and had offered abandoned homes for sale to policemen for $1,000 to get them to move back. What good would that do? Well, it would help eliminate some vacant homes, hopefully start to stabilize neighborhoods, and put the properties back on the tax rolls for just a few things. Cities don't just happen 'downtown' or in the Greektowns or at the casinos, or the sports arenas. Their roots are in the neighborhoods. And Detroit has some pretty bad neighborhoods. Many look more like a war zone than anything else.
So now we have citizens saying, "Great, but what about me? What will you do for me? Lower my taxes?" This sense of entitlement is the root of a lot of problems in big cities and in America. Yes, Detroit has a close to obscene tax rate (65 mils). Some folks in the really nice areas like Boston-Edision or Indian Village pay a lot of money ($7,000 happens a lot in those areas). But in the other neighborhoods, that's not the case.
I checked my childhood neighborhood (Delray in SW Detroit). A lot of those folks are paying between $450-$900/yr of taxes. Nicer areas in NW Detroit can pay up to around $3,000/yr. It depends on the value of your house. My quick check is neither exhaustive nor qualitative, but I didn't se one single property that had a taxable value (TV) the same as the State Equalized Value (SEV), they were all sustantially lower on the TV.
Folks, it took DECADES for Detroit to get into its current predicament. It may take another DECADE to see momentum build in a turnaround. Do what you can do to make it a better place. Band together with neighbors, clean up the trash, encourage police to return to the city and you'll start to see better emergency response times and things turn around. It won't happen overnight. But if you give up except to fight the little bright spots like this program, it may never happen. And in the meantime, your neighbors that have the ability to move to the suburbs will do so.
And from Detroit, the cry is raised, "Hey, What About Me?" OK, not quite literally, but that's the sense of it.
Mayor Dave Bing is trying to rejuvenate the city, and had offered abandoned homes for sale to policemen for $1,000 to get them to move back. What good would that do? Well, it would help eliminate some vacant homes, hopefully start to stabilize neighborhoods, and put the properties back on the tax rolls for just a few things. Cities don't just happen 'downtown' or in the Greektowns or at the casinos, or the sports arenas. Their roots are in the neighborhoods. And Detroit has some pretty bad neighborhoods. Many look more like a war zone than anything else.
So now we have citizens saying, "Great, but what about me? What will you do for me? Lower my taxes?" This sense of entitlement is the root of a lot of problems in big cities and in America. Yes, Detroit has a close to obscene tax rate (65 mils). Some folks in the really nice areas like Boston-Edision or Indian Village pay a lot of money ($7,000 happens a lot in those areas). But in the other neighborhoods, that's not the case.
I checked my childhood neighborhood (Delray in SW Detroit). A lot of those folks are paying between $450-$900/yr of taxes. Nicer areas in NW Detroit can pay up to around $3,000/yr. It depends on the value of your house. My quick check is neither exhaustive nor qualitative, but I didn't se one single property that had a taxable value (TV) the same as the State Equalized Value (SEV), they were all sustantially lower on the TV.
Folks, it took DECADES for Detroit to get into its current predicament. It may take another DECADE to see momentum build in a turnaround. Do what you can do to make it a better place. Band together with neighbors, clean up the trash, encourage police to return to the city and you'll start to see better emergency response times and things turn around. It won't happen overnight. But if you give up except to fight the little bright spots like this program, it may never happen. And in the meantime, your neighbors that have the ability to move to the suburbs will do so.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter Dinner
This was a completely atypical Easter for my wife and I. She had surgery last Wednesday and we informed the family that we wouldn't be attending the Easter gathering. I had to work for an hour or so this morning at 9am and that was a good thing, because it turned out that was my only reason to shave and get dressed.
I had decided to go non-traditional for dinner this year. I had a corned beef brisket in the freezer (I bought a couple on sale around St. Patrick's Day) and I defrosted it yesterday, then brined it overnight. If you haven't discovered brining, get to it. The meat comes out so juicy and tender that it's totally insane. I discovered brining last Thanksgiving and I use that technique every chance I get now. It produced the very best turkey I've ever cooked, and I have a special talent for poultry dishes. A simple concoction is 1.5-2 gals water, 1/2 cup salt and 1 cup sugar. Add bay leaves,other fresh spices or just cracked pepper if you like. Scale down for the size of meat and amount of water that you use.
This morning, early, I set it up in the crock pot with about 12 ounces of orange juice, sprinkled the brisket with peppercorns and let it go for about 5.5 hours on high. I was going to chop some fresh rosemary and sprinkle that in it too, but I hadn't used the orange juice marinade before so I decided to eliminate an additional variable. If anything, I am a systematic cook. Definitely not fine dining, but usually very tasty and reasonable healthy. Sides included broiled asparagus sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil, cracked pepper and salt, mashed potatoes, followed by dutch apple pie and french vanilla ice cream for dessert. Still way too much food for two, but we'll have great leftovers for a couple of days. We actually delayed dessert for about two hours.
It's kind of strange not feeling rushed to get someplace, then forcing yourself to try to stay awake in a crowd after a big meal. We couldn't really go out for a post-prandial walk because of my wife's surgery but it was nice to have a no pressure holiday for a change. She did dress for dinner, but promptly regressed into those comfy pajamas. I was never much of a PJ man until about 5 years ago, but if nature and man didn't intervene on certain days, I think could pretty much live in them when inside my home and be a happy camper.
While I certainly did miss seeing 'the fam' today, it was great to be alone with my wife. All of the kids are growing and going in their own directions, we're getting older and some are thinking about ditching Michigan to move to warmer climes. I do wonder how long the usual holiday routine will last. No matter where you're at in life, I think you can potentially be at the best point in your life. I'm wondering more often if this is the best part of my life. I sincerely hope not and I'll try to make every year, month, week, and day better than the previous. I hope you do, too. Happy Easter, and to my Jewish friends, Happy Passover.
I had decided to go non-traditional for dinner this year. I had a corned beef brisket in the freezer (I bought a couple on sale around St. Patrick's Day) and I defrosted it yesterday, then brined it overnight. If you haven't discovered brining, get to it. The meat comes out so juicy and tender that it's totally insane. I discovered brining last Thanksgiving and I use that technique every chance I get now. It produced the very best turkey I've ever cooked, and I have a special talent for poultry dishes. A simple concoction is 1.5-2 gals water, 1/2 cup salt and 1 cup sugar. Add bay leaves,other fresh spices or just cracked pepper if you like. Scale down for the size of meat and amount of water that you use.
This morning, early, I set it up in the crock pot with about 12 ounces of orange juice, sprinkled the brisket with peppercorns and let it go for about 5.5 hours on high. I was going to chop some fresh rosemary and sprinkle that in it too, but I hadn't used the orange juice marinade before so I decided to eliminate an additional variable. If anything, I am a systematic cook. Definitely not fine dining, but usually very tasty and reasonable healthy. Sides included broiled asparagus sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil, cracked pepper and salt, mashed potatoes, followed by dutch apple pie and french vanilla ice cream for dessert. Still way too much food for two, but we'll have great leftovers for a couple of days. We actually delayed dessert for about two hours.
It's kind of strange not feeling rushed to get someplace, then forcing yourself to try to stay awake in a crowd after a big meal. We couldn't really go out for a post-prandial walk because of my wife's surgery but it was nice to have a no pressure holiday for a change. She did dress for dinner, but promptly regressed into those comfy pajamas. I was never much of a PJ man until about 5 years ago, but if nature and man didn't intervene on certain days, I think could pretty much live in them when inside my home and be a happy camper.
While I certainly did miss seeing 'the fam' today, it was great to be alone with my wife. All of the kids are growing and going in their own directions, we're getting older and some are thinking about ditching Michigan to move to warmer climes. I do wonder how long the usual holiday routine will last. No matter where you're at in life, I think you can potentially be at the best point in your life. I'm wondering more often if this is the best part of my life. I sincerely hope not and I'll try to make every year, month, week, and day better than the previous. I hope you do, too. Happy Easter, and to my Jewish friends, Happy Passover.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Is The World Getting Crazier?
I don't think so. I think we're just too connected. Every little thing is instantly spread by 24 hrs news outlets, twitterbugs, and bloggers. (Hey, I'm one of them! Bloggers, I mean.)
So onto my craziness target. We have a real, live celebrity (er, wannabee) about 45 minutes away. Pastor Terry Jones is in a Dearborn (MI) courtroom waiting to find out if he will be allowed to hold a protest that includes buring a Quran outside a Deaborn mosque.
You know, I don't care if you're the president of the virginity league and you want to burn a racy novel. Book burners don't sit well with me. For that matter, neither do book banners, but that's for another day. In this country you are able to burn an American flag if you wish, under the premise of free speech. I guess that means that books are not off limits either, even if they are considered books of faith. And if we let a whacko lead us down the path of abridging our First Amendment right to free speech, well, then shame on us.
As distasteful as this man is, I think he has the right to assemble and protest, and yes - even burn a holy text. But that's as far as I will go.
I think he makes a mockery of religious leadership. How can a 'Christian' espouse such hatred? Oh, I know, it's the 15 minutes thing. He's had a couple of 15 minutes ventures into the limelight, decided that he liked it, and is back for more - and more, and more and more. I further believe that he is a very small human being and he is disguising his hatred for the Moslem world under the cover of 'free speech'. Hey, whatever it takes to get in the media.
I did a little background on 'Pastor' Terry Jones and discovered that he is not really a graduate of any divinity school. He is an 'appointed' Pastor and was released from a church position in Germany in 2008 "due to his indefensible theological statements and his craving for attention." (See Wikipedia reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove_World_Outreach_Center)
Apparently, his church does well enough to get him and some of his followers to places around the country for well publicized and emotional protests. His congregation (The Dove World Outreach Center) is reported to be around 50 strong, with 30 or so at weekly services. I guess we should be happy that it's not double, triple, or more than that. It has been classified as a hate group by the Southern poverty Law Center for its anti-gay activities.
In Metro Detroit, a coalition of religious leaders representing many different faiths have rallied together to denounce this 'protest'. Hopefully, this group will hold its little protest, pack up into their cars or bus and head back to Gainesville, Florida, where their Mayor has termed them an "embarassment to the community.
So onto my craziness target. We have a real, live celebrity (er, wannabee) about 45 minutes away. Pastor Terry Jones is in a Dearborn (MI) courtroom waiting to find out if he will be allowed to hold a protest that includes buring a Quran outside a Deaborn mosque.
You know, I don't care if you're the president of the virginity league and you want to burn a racy novel. Book burners don't sit well with me. For that matter, neither do book banners, but that's for another day. In this country you are able to burn an American flag if you wish, under the premise of free speech. I guess that means that books are not off limits either, even if they are considered books of faith. And if we let a whacko lead us down the path of abridging our First Amendment right to free speech, well, then shame on us.
As distasteful as this man is, I think he has the right to assemble and protest, and yes - even burn a holy text. But that's as far as I will go.
I think he makes a mockery of religious leadership. How can a 'Christian' espouse such hatred? Oh, I know, it's the 15 minutes thing. He's had a couple of 15 minutes ventures into the limelight, decided that he liked it, and is back for more - and more, and more and more. I further believe that he is a very small human being and he is disguising his hatred for the Moslem world under the cover of 'free speech'. Hey, whatever it takes to get in the media.
I did a little background on 'Pastor' Terry Jones and discovered that he is not really a graduate of any divinity school. He is an 'appointed' Pastor and was released from a church position in Germany in 2008 "due to his indefensible theological statements and his craving for attention." (See Wikipedia reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove_World_Outreach_Center)
Apparently, his church does well enough to get him and some of his followers to places around the country for well publicized and emotional protests. His congregation (The Dove World Outreach Center) is reported to be around 50 strong, with 30 or so at weekly services. I guess we should be happy that it's not double, triple, or more than that. It has been classified as a hate group by the Southern poverty Law Center for its anti-gay activities.
In Metro Detroit, a coalition of religious leaders representing many different faiths have rallied together to denounce this 'protest'. Hopefully, this group will hold its little protest, pack up into their cars or bus and head back to Gainesville, Florida, where their Mayor has termed them an "embarassment to the community.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Will Donald Trump Run?
Does anybody really care? While he's busy trying to prove that President Obama isn't really an American that's not all he's doing. He recently (this week) bought a Virginia vineyard at foreclosure. Perhaps that will give him something constructive to do rather than muddy up an already cloudy political lagoon.
He would be the most inept President ever. Even worst than Warren G. Harding, who reportedly played poker while allowing his friends to plunder the US Treasury. In fact, a famous quote attributed to him was, "I am not fit for this office and should never have been here." Wow. That's a mouthful.
Perhaps Mr. Trump could keep to his apprenticing and wine making and prevent us from seeing the first President that says to himself, "you're fired". With conviction, of course. My estimation of politicans in general is at an all-time low, but if we're looking for a non-politican 'savior', it most surely won't be Donald Trump.
I have nothing against the man personally, but he's is probably the definition of what we don't need as our commander in chief. Stick to the mindless medium of television - please.
He would be the most inept President ever. Even worst than Warren G. Harding, who reportedly played poker while allowing his friends to plunder the US Treasury. In fact, a famous quote attributed to him was, "I am not fit for this office and should never have been here." Wow. That's a mouthful.
Perhaps Mr. Trump could keep to his apprenticing and wine making and prevent us from seeing the first President that says to himself, "you're fired". With conviction, of course. My estimation of politicans in general is at an all-time low, but if we're looking for a non-politican 'savior', it most surely won't be Donald Trump.
I have nothing against the man personally, but he's is probably the definition of what we don't need as our commander in chief. Stick to the mindless medium of television - please.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Parking Lots and Door Dings
I hate to sound like a lousy, stinkin' whiner. Really. I do.
I've had a rash of scrapes and bumps on my car doors that is enough to test the patience and reasoning of any sane person. How freaking hard is it to move your shopping cart into one of the little collection bays? I normally park a bit further to the back of a lot, even if there are closer spots. I always think that there are people who have a lot more trouble getting around than myself and they need the spot - even if they're not officially 'handicapped'.
So how do I collect so many blemishes on my doors? I've seen carts left in the parking spots even when the cart corral was right there! I see people just sending the carts 'on their way' when done loading. It's different if you're a mom with little ones that you just strapped into their car seat and you have to walk a distance to the corral, but come on.
It only takes a few seconds and does so much for your fellow shoppers. My award for best cart management goes to the Howell (MI) Meijer's. A lot of corrals, and frequent collection by staff keep their lot quite orderly.
My award for worst is the Brighton (MI) Costco. Not a lot of corrals for starters. And their carts are HUGE. It really is a chore to walk a cart to a collection point in this lot. I always make sure to park wa-a-ay out if I visit this store. I try to keep my purchases to a minimum and use one of those great big Tractor Supply Company (TSC) re-usable shopping bags. They hold a lot more than the typical bag and are constructed to be a lot sturdier. That way I don't need to deal with a cart at this store.
And don't even get me started on drivers that don't know how to park inside the lines of the space. We'll save that for some other time.
I've had a rash of scrapes and bumps on my car doors that is enough to test the patience and reasoning of any sane person. How freaking hard is it to move your shopping cart into one of the little collection bays? I normally park a bit further to the back of a lot, even if there are closer spots. I always think that there are people who have a lot more trouble getting around than myself and they need the spot - even if they're not officially 'handicapped'.
So how do I collect so many blemishes on my doors? I've seen carts left in the parking spots even when the cart corral was right there! I see people just sending the carts 'on their way' when done loading. It's different if you're a mom with little ones that you just strapped into their car seat and you have to walk a distance to the corral, but come on.
It only takes a few seconds and does so much for your fellow shoppers. My award for best cart management goes to the Howell (MI) Meijer's. A lot of corrals, and frequent collection by staff keep their lot quite orderly.
My award for worst is the Brighton (MI) Costco. Not a lot of corrals for starters. And their carts are HUGE. It really is a chore to walk a cart to a collection point in this lot. I always make sure to park wa-a-ay out if I visit this store. I try to keep my purchases to a minimum and use one of those great big Tractor Supply Company (TSC) re-usable shopping bags. They hold a lot more than the typical bag and are constructed to be a lot sturdier. That way I don't need to deal with a cart at this store.
And don't even get me started on drivers that don't know how to park inside the lines of the space. We'll save that for some other time.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Commercials & Infomercials
Lordy. I thought I had seen it all with the 'Amish Fireplace' (it's free! limit two per household!). If you watch the 40 minute version, as I did one sleepless early morning, there's a shot in the middle with an "authentic amish worker" that has an electric nail gun in his hand. Working on a fireplace mantle. Pretty funny. He's easy to spot. He's the young guy with what looks like a stick on beard.
I just saw a short commercial on IFC for the $50 buffalo nickel-style gold piece. Proper disclaimer about not being legal tender, it starts by saying that production was going to have to be stopped due to a lack of available coin blanks. Near the end comes the meat of the pitch. "Clad in the purest gold - 0.9999 pecent 24K gold". Wow, that's impressive. Next is a quick remark about 14 mg of gold used on the gold 'clad' coin. Hmm.
1 oz of gold = 28 grams. 14 mg is .014g of gold. That makes 14mg = 0.000493 oz of gold. The current gold price is $1,433/oz, so this 'limited edition collector's piece' actually has about 70 cents worth of gold in - or more accurately - on it. There could be some intrinsic value in the craftsmanship or the limited 'collectibility', but I'm pretty sure that won't equal the rest of the $49.30 in value.
I just saw a short commercial on IFC for the $50 buffalo nickel-style gold piece. Proper disclaimer about not being legal tender, it starts by saying that production was going to have to be stopped due to a lack of available coin blanks. Near the end comes the meat of the pitch. "Clad in the purest gold - 0.9999 pecent 24K gold". Wow, that's impressive. Next is a quick remark about 14 mg of gold used on the gold 'clad' coin. Hmm.
1 oz of gold = 28 grams. 14 mg is .014g of gold. That makes 14mg = 0.000493 oz of gold. The current gold price is $1,433/oz, so this 'limited edition collector's piece' actually has about 70 cents worth of gold in - or more accurately - on it. There could be some intrinsic value in the craftsmanship or the limited 'collectibility', but I'm pretty sure that won't equal the rest of the $49.30 in value.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Random Thoughts and Cabin Fever
It has certainly been a long winter. I keep saying that I love all four of Michigan's seasons (and I do!), but wow, almost a record snowfall for February (31" for the month) and a prolonged period of really cold weather had me a bit - "out of whack."
At least we're getting some sunshine and the promise of Spring. I keep looking for my little crocuses (croci?) and daffodils to confirm that Spring is here, but they're under too much snow at this time.
February was also a very busy month for me business-wise, and a busy month for other interests, so I didn't play much poker. For the first time, I didn't earn a small cash award for PokerSchoolOnline (PSO). I only played about a dozen tournaments, but I did have enough points to get a freeroll ticket for March. I had two or three really quick departures which cost me in the points department, so I guess I should be happy that I qualified for the freerolls this month.
I started March out horribly with my monthly live game. Been playing once a month with the same group of guys since March 2003. It's dealer's choice, no hold 'em, and we rotate bringing the food for the group. It's really more of a male bonding night than a real poker night. Stakes are ultra-low so nobody gets hurt badly, and it gives a chance to catch up with each other's lives and happenings.
Nobody leaves the hand and it's practically impossible to bluff at these stakes, too. So you're left with some basic calculations of probablility and outs and the rest is pure luck. Last night, not even switching decks helped. I had a few really good hands but the rest were pretty poor. A lot of Omaha hi-lo and seven card hi-lo games were dealt. So even when you win you're usually splitting the pot.
We were also playing short since one of the guys had to go on a 'date' with his wife (it was her birthday - what a wimp) and the other was driving back from Cleveland. Two others were just missing in action, but we had our reserve player make it to give us a table of five.
It's always a good time and this month I was most definitely a 'donator', but this game is really not about money. Even on a great winning night, nobody gets rich. Actually, we'd have trouble filling up an empty gas tank with our winnings at the current prices. But we always pull half of one ante out of the pot to donate to a local Children's Cancer fund.
I'm hoping that I will turn things around, but I've noticed that when I get really busy with other parts of my life I lose my poker concentration. That leaves me with the quandry of playing losing poker when 'life is good' or not playing at all. Hopefully I will work through that issue sometime and figure it all out. I have some free entry tickets for the Poker Stars SCOOP series, so I will definitely give those a whirl and try to progress in that tourney.
At least we're getting some sunshine and the promise of Spring. I keep looking for my little crocuses (croci?) and daffodils to confirm that Spring is here, but they're under too much snow at this time.
February was also a very busy month for me business-wise, and a busy month for other interests, so I didn't play much poker. For the first time, I didn't earn a small cash award for PokerSchoolOnline (PSO). I only played about a dozen tournaments, but I did have enough points to get a freeroll ticket for March. I had two or three really quick departures which cost me in the points department, so I guess I should be happy that I qualified for the freerolls this month.
I started March out horribly with my monthly live game. Been playing once a month with the same group of guys since March 2003. It's dealer's choice, no hold 'em, and we rotate bringing the food for the group. It's really more of a male bonding night than a real poker night. Stakes are ultra-low so nobody gets hurt badly, and it gives a chance to catch up with each other's lives and happenings.
Nobody leaves the hand and it's practically impossible to bluff at these stakes, too. So you're left with some basic calculations of probablility and outs and the rest is pure luck. Last night, not even switching decks helped. I had a few really good hands but the rest were pretty poor. A lot of Omaha hi-lo and seven card hi-lo games were dealt. So even when you win you're usually splitting the pot.
We were also playing short since one of the guys had to go on a 'date' with his wife (it was her birthday - what a wimp) and the other was driving back from Cleveland. Two others were just missing in action, but we had our reserve player make it to give us a table of five.
It's always a good time and this month I was most definitely a 'donator', but this game is really not about money. Even on a great winning night, nobody gets rich. Actually, we'd have trouble filling up an empty gas tank with our winnings at the current prices. But we always pull half of one ante out of the pot to donate to a local Children's Cancer fund.
I'm hoping that I will turn things around, but I've noticed that when I get really busy with other parts of my life I lose my poker concentration. That leaves me with the quandry of playing losing poker when 'life is good' or not playing at all. Hopefully I will work through that issue sometime and figure it all out. I have some free entry tickets for the Poker Stars SCOOP series, so I will definitely give those a whirl and try to progress in that tourney.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
WBCOOP 2011 On The Way!
I've registered for the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker, but I'm having trouble getting the registration symbol to display. I am getting an error of:
Please correct the error below, and submit your template again.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The element type "img" must be terminated by the matching end-tag "".
When I check the code, it appears that everything is present and correct. Has anybody else had this problem?
Please correct the error below, and submit your template again.
Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly.
XML error message: The element type "img" must be terminated by the matching end-tag "".
When I check the code, it appears that everything is present and correct. Has anybody else had this problem?
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Holiday Turkey - Brining Discovered
This year, we pulled the straw to bring the turkey to Christmas dinner. I would have rather had the gathering at our place but it was decided that we'd have it at mom's instead. So I was determined that this would be a really, really good turkey, even though we'd cook it in Brighton and drive it to Dexter.
Now, I think I do quite well with poultry in general, but I needed an 'edge'. So I began some light web browsing and came across 'brining'. Hmm, that sounds interesting, I thought. Brining is basically a way to marinade an entire bird, or large cut of meat. Brining is a way to tenderize and keep meat moist when cooking, and you can also impart some additional flavor to it.
After looking a various recipes I settled upon one that was pretty basic. I wasn't sure how much flavor might be transferred so I was cautious. For our 15 lb. turkey, most sources agreed that 12-24 hrs of brining was in order. I couldn't find any 'brining bags' and preparation was less than a day away, but luckily we had a box of the extra large (really large) zip loc storage bags - you know, the kind you use for clothing. It looked like it would accomodate the bird.
So I began the brining solution. I used a 2qt saucepan and added a half cup of coarse sea salt, a half cup of sugar, a quarter cup of cracked black pepper, and a few bay leaves. Boiled, then simmered, then diluted into a total of a gallon and a half of water. The turkey went into the bag. This was a two person job, by the way.
As I started pouring in the cooled brining solution, we saw a leak in the bag. The darned turkey wing had punctured it. We had one last bag and carefully slid the turkey into it, transferred the solution and then added one large navel orange, sliced very thin, a few strips of cut sweet (vidalia) onion and zipped it shut. This was also a two person job. Don't forget to remove the giblets and make sure your bird is totally defrosted when you do this.
The solution totally covered and immersed the bird. The bagged turkey went into a large plastic bin (in case of leaks), the refrigerator shelves were moved to accomodate the turkey in its bag and in its bin, and we had 25 hours and 10 minutes for it to brine. Perfect.
Christmas morning we were up early. The bird was removed from the bag and thoroughly washed inside and out, and patted dry. I was having trouble getting my big hands into the turkey, so my wife took a handful of sea salt and just tapped it around inside the cavity. We let it set for the 45 minutes or so that it took to prepare the stuffing. After stuffing, young Tom Turkey went into the roaster pan (uncovered), and the convection oven was set to 325 F. I set the timer for an hour, then pulled it out and basted it with extra virgin olive oil, topping it off with a light amount of McCormick's Montreal Chicken Seasoning. It went back in the oven covered with a protective layer of foil and was re-basted about every 90 minutes. For the last hour the temperature was increased to 365 F and the foil removed.
The meat thermometer confirmed that it was done pretty much on schedule and it was pulled to sit on the counter while we got the car loaded with presents, cookies and other dishes for the party. It was a perfect looking turkey! I hoped that it would taste good, too.
It took about 35 minutes to get to mom's and the turkey was ready to be carved as soon as we got there. I have to tell you that it sliced beautifully. It was also very moist and tasty, although I really couldn't detect any of the favors that were in the brine solution. Perhaps that was because I was conservative with the amounts. I don't know. But it was a very good turkey.
I'll try brining again on whole chickens and even cut up chicken parts. Of course they'll need less time, perhaps 1-3 hours instead of 24, but I will be a bit more daring on the concentration of the flavorings to see what happens. I'm very satisfied regarding the tenderness of the meat, and that was my main goal.
I will also take the time and trouble to add some seasoning to the olive oil for basting the next time, but since we were in uncharted waters I wanted to keep things fairly simple. That's one of the things I like about cooking - find something that works, then dress it up to be even better.
You can find your own way to brine by doing a web search for 'meat brining'. There will be enough links returned to keep you reading for a while.
Now, I think I do quite well with poultry in general, but I needed an 'edge'. So I began some light web browsing and came across 'brining'. Hmm, that sounds interesting, I thought. Brining is basically a way to marinade an entire bird, or large cut of meat. Brining is a way to tenderize and keep meat moist when cooking, and you can also impart some additional flavor to it.
After looking a various recipes I settled upon one that was pretty basic. I wasn't sure how much flavor might be transferred so I was cautious. For our 15 lb. turkey, most sources agreed that 12-24 hrs of brining was in order. I couldn't find any 'brining bags' and preparation was less than a day away, but luckily we had a box of the extra large (really large) zip loc storage bags - you know, the kind you use for clothing. It looked like it would accomodate the bird.
So I began the brining solution. I used a 2qt saucepan and added a half cup of coarse sea salt, a half cup of sugar, a quarter cup of cracked black pepper, and a few bay leaves. Boiled, then simmered, then diluted into a total of a gallon and a half of water. The turkey went into the bag. This was a two person job, by the way.
As I started pouring in the cooled brining solution, we saw a leak in the bag. The darned turkey wing had punctured it. We had one last bag and carefully slid the turkey into it, transferred the solution and then added one large navel orange, sliced very thin, a few strips of cut sweet (vidalia) onion and zipped it shut. This was also a two person job. Don't forget to remove the giblets and make sure your bird is totally defrosted when you do this.
The solution totally covered and immersed the bird. The bagged turkey went into a large plastic bin (in case of leaks), the refrigerator shelves were moved to accomodate the turkey in its bag and in its bin, and we had 25 hours and 10 minutes for it to brine. Perfect.
Christmas morning we were up early. The bird was removed from the bag and thoroughly washed inside and out, and patted dry. I was having trouble getting my big hands into the turkey, so my wife took a handful of sea salt and just tapped it around inside the cavity. We let it set for the 45 minutes or so that it took to prepare the stuffing. After stuffing, young Tom Turkey went into the roaster pan (uncovered), and the convection oven was set to 325 F. I set the timer for an hour, then pulled it out and basted it with extra virgin olive oil, topping it off with a light amount of McCormick's Montreal Chicken Seasoning. It went back in the oven covered with a protective layer of foil and was re-basted about every 90 minutes. For the last hour the temperature was increased to 365 F and the foil removed.
The meat thermometer confirmed that it was done pretty much on schedule and it was pulled to sit on the counter while we got the car loaded with presents, cookies and other dishes for the party. It was a perfect looking turkey! I hoped that it would taste good, too.
It took about 35 minutes to get to mom's and the turkey was ready to be carved as soon as we got there. I have to tell you that it sliced beautifully. It was also very moist and tasty, although I really couldn't detect any of the favors that were in the brine solution. Perhaps that was because I was conservative with the amounts. I don't know. But it was a very good turkey.
I'll try brining again on whole chickens and even cut up chicken parts. Of course they'll need less time, perhaps 1-3 hours instead of 24, but I will be a bit more daring on the concentration of the flavorings to see what happens. I'm very satisfied regarding the tenderness of the meat, and that was my main goal.
I will also take the time and trouble to add some seasoning to the olive oil for basting the next time, but since we were in uncharted waters I wanted to keep things fairly simple. That's one of the things I like about cooking - find something that works, then dress it up to be even better.
You can find your own way to brine by doing a web search for 'meat brining'. There will be enough links returned to keep you reading for a while.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Voter Backlash
Well, it seems that the old ‘kick the rascals out’ sentiment has prevailed with this year’s mid-term elections. Plenty of examples nationwide. Growing influence of the Tea Party. General disdain of the ruling Democratic Party.
Here are some of my observations from local races. In Michigan, Republican candidate for Governor Rick Snyder, a businessman with no political experience, not only refused to accept any endorsements, he wouldn’t even fill out their forms! He also refused any campaign finance donations from PACs or lobbyists. And guess what? He won! Of course, he is a successful businessman and was able to fund his campaign to the tune of $6 million. But he shouldn’t have to do that. Nobody should.
We have a real problem with political campaigning in this country and it is going to have to be resolved pretty soon or we will only be seeing the anointed and appointed ones running for office, with few exceptions like Rick Snyder.
Speaking of campaigning, it seems to me that a lot of the attack ads have backfired big time this year. Michigan Supreme Court justices Bob Young and Mary Beth Kelly were savaged in attack ads. Although this is supposedly a non-partisan office, Young and Kelly were endorsed by the Republican Party. The attack ads came from where? Oh yes, backers of the Democratic party candidates, although not the Michigan Democratic Party itself. That’s what PACs are for, right?
Why the partisanship in a non-partisan race? Hmm. The party that has the most juice with a majority of the Supreme Court justices will have a larger say in congressional district makeup and that will last for the next 10 years. You’re either non-partisan or you’re partisan. You can’t have it both ways. And judges shouldn’t be influenced or beholden to any political party. The election of Young and Kelly swing the Supreme Court from a Democratic 1 vote majority to Republican. Oh my. So both parties want that judge majority to get the congressional district advantage.
Sorry, that’s as wrong to me as splitting a single subdivision into two adjacent school districts. Isn’t that why we have ‘School of Choice’?
Speaking of schools, this could be an example of an attack ad gone bad. Leadership of the Brighton Education Association sent out postcards attacking candidate for Brighton Area Schools Board of Education John Conely by linking him to 21 lawsuits. Unfortunately, they forgot to mention that many were legitimate business suits to recover debts and that others were filed by his father, also John Conely. Why the animus? Mr. Conely (the candidate, now elected) had the cheek to suggest that teacher contracts get linked to state funding. If funding goes up, teachers get a raise. If funding goes down, they get a pay reduction. The district is facing a $7 million deficit now. It may not be a perfect solution, but increasing pay while facing larger deficits doesn’t seem like a very good solution either. Maybe all of the powers that be need to get together and talk . . . .
Nothing will change until voters demand change. You don’t have to be an activist. Just pay attention to what’s going on. Maybe miss one or two sitcoms a week and read the local paper, or go to an occasional school board or township meeting. An ignorant electorate is a rascal’s best friend.
By the way, I consider myself an independent that votes for who I consider to be the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation. I will - and do - vote for 'minor' party candidates.
Here are some of my observations from local races. In Michigan, Republican candidate for Governor Rick Snyder, a businessman with no political experience, not only refused to accept any endorsements, he wouldn’t even fill out their forms! He also refused any campaign finance donations from PACs or lobbyists. And guess what? He won! Of course, he is a successful businessman and was able to fund his campaign to the tune of $6 million. But he shouldn’t have to do that. Nobody should.
We have a real problem with political campaigning in this country and it is going to have to be resolved pretty soon or we will only be seeing the anointed and appointed ones running for office, with few exceptions like Rick Snyder.
Speaking of campaigning, it seems to me that a lot of the attack ads have backfired big time this year. Michigan Supreme Court justices Bob Young and Mary Beth Kelly were savaged in attack ads. Although this is supposedly a non-partisan office, Young and Kelly were endorsed by the Republican Party. The attack ads came from where? Oh yes, backers of the Democratic party candidates, although not the Michigan Democratic Party itself. That’s what PACs are for, right?
Why the partisanship in a non-partisan race? Hmm. The party that has the most juice with a majority of the Supreme Court justices will have a larger say in congressional district makeup and that will last for the next 10 years. You’re either non-partisan or you’re partisan. You can’t have it both ways. And judges shouldn’t be influenced or beholden to any political party. The election of Young and Kelly swing the Supreme Court from a Democratic 1 vote majority to Republican. Oh my. So both parties want that judge majority to get the congressional district advantage.
Sorry, that’s as wrong to me as splitting a single subdivision into two adjacent school districts. Isn’t that why we have ‘School of Choice’?
Speaking of schools, this could be an example of an attack ad gone bad. Leadership of the Brighton Education Association sent out postcards attacking candidate for Brighton Area Schools Board of Education John Conely by linking him to 21 lawsuits. Unfortunately, they forgot to mention that many were legitimate business suits to recover debts and that others were filed by his father, also John Conely. Why the animus? Mr. Conely (the candidate, now elected) had the cheek to suggest that teacher contracts get linked to state funding. If funding goes up, teachers get a raise. If funding goes down, they get a pay reduction. The district is facing a $7 million deficit now. It may not be a perfect solution, but increasing pay while facing larger deficits doesn’t seem like a very good solution either. Maybe all of the powers that be need to get together and talk . . . .
Nothing will change until voters demand change. You don’t have to be an activist. Just pay attention to what’s going on. Maybe miss one or two sitcoms a week and read the local paper, or go to an occasional school board or township meeting. An ignorant electorate is a rascal’s best friend.
By the way, I consider myself an independent that votes for who I consider to be the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation. I will - and do - vote for 'minor' party candidates.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Switching Gears
My golf buddies and I were talking last night and we're pretty sure that there's only a few more weeks of golfing left in this season. Last year, I played my last, very chilly round on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Bundled up, wearing winter golf gloves and a wicking 'beanie' cap wasn't quite the same, but at least I was playing golf. This year, I'll start playing at the simulator earlier. It's pretty realistic, except for the putting, which I'll forego. If I'm within 10 ft of the pin I'll declare a one putt. Any further and a two putt. At $20/hr that makes sense to me.
I'm also going to play a lot more poker this year. I've been playing in the Poker Stars Poker School Online league and will be doing more multi-table tournaments (MTTs). Cheap buy-ins, long sessions and hopefully a few final tables will be in my future. That should get me through the winter!
Bundled up, wearing winter golf gloves and a wicking 'beanie' cap wasn't quite the same, but at least I was playing golf. This year, I'll start playing at the simulator earlier. It's pretty realistic, except for the putting, which I'll forego. If I'm within 10 ft of the pin I'll declare a one putt. Any further and a two putt. At $20/hr that makes sense to me.
I'm also going to play a lot more poker this year. I've been playing in the Poker Stars Poker School Online league and will be doing more multi-table tournaments (MTTs). Cheap buy-ins, long sessions and hopefully a few final tables will be in my future. That should get me through the winter!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Woo Hoo! Who?
Does anybody *really* care that much about where LeBron ends up playing? Is it worth an hour of TV time? Oops, sorry, TV also 'rents' itself out to infomercials during slow hours, causes endless fascination over who gets axed on Apprentice, American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, etc., so I guess that was a stupid rhetorical question.
Personally, I'd rather work in the garden, listen to music, visit with friends or read a book. Or even go to bed early. Not that I wish anything bad for Mr. James, but honestly, is this worth the media hype? I don't think so.
I'm also pretty tired of hearing about the pop culture flavor of the moment, who right now seems to be either a young blond actress on trial for something or other, or a actor-director-producer without verbal or mental restraint. Personally speaking, if this is 'culture' it's better suited to a petri dish.
I guess once you're 'famous' and/or have some bucks, it's OK to act like a self-absorbed idiot. Or is that being eccentric? Eccentric literally derives from 'out of' or 'off' and 'center'. Hmm, maybe we are on to something here. . . .
All right, enough ranting. Now go read a newspaper or do something to make your community a better place in which to live. Find a volunteer organization and donate a few hours of time and energy to making things better. Let the TV sit idle, the sports, sit coms, and variety shows will survive without you for a day.
Personally, I'd rather work in the garden, listen to music, visit with friends or read a book. Or even go to bed early. Not that I wish anything bad for Mr. James, but honestly, is this worth the media hype? I don't think so.
I'm also pretty tired of hearing about the pop culture flavor of the moment, who right now seems to be either a young blond actress on trial for something or other, or a actor-director-producer without verbal or mental restraint. Personally speaking, if this is 'culture' it's better suited to a petri dish.
I guess once you're 'famous' and/or have some bucks, it's OK to act like a self-absorbed idiot. Or is that being eccentric? Eccentric literally derives from 'out of' or 'off' and 'center'. Hmm, maybe we are on to something here. . . .
All right, enough ranting. Now go read a newspaper or do something to make your community a better place in which to live. Find a volunteer organization and donate a few hours of time and energy to making things better. Let the TV sit idle, the sports, sit coms, and variety shows will survive without you for a day.
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